2004 Sienna - Power Sliding Door Cable Snapped

[johnrma]

My 2004 Sienna also experienced a door freezing problem this month. This occurred on the door that the cable snapped (see original post in 07), so we had already been operating it manually. Toyota definately has problems with the quality of this door. I called the Customer Service number and all they would tell me was to work with the dealer service manager who "may" get the regional service manager involved. My plan is to print this whole post out and bring it in as evidence that this is not an isolated problem.

[dniswonger]

I have had to replace both door cable systems now. Also, our doors have frozen shut twice in the past week. After driving the car for 45 minutesand having to put the door on manual, the interior lights suddenly came on and the door slide open while driving. This is a very serious issue and needs to be addressed.

[Robj]

Our sliding door cable snapped on our 04 Sienna also, not only that but somehow the cable became hooked on the rear quarter window and shattered it when i tried to close the door manually. Also talk about the doors freezing shut, it happens ALL THE TIME in the winter, we have owned the van 3 years now, its the most annoying and terrible design on a door I have ever seen. I haven't called the dealer yet it just happened so I hope the warranty still covers it.
I am more worried about the window at the moment but what a pain in the *** this vehicle has turned out to be.

[Maria2]

This just happend to our Sienna! $1600 to fix! I just called Toyota corp. and told them what happened. I have a case number and they will call be end of tomorrow after they "investigate". I don't expect a good outcome based on what I've been hearing here. She told me the decisions are always on a case by case basis and they cannot consider anything on these blogs. I'm sure they have to have all the complaints though. I will let you all know what happens after she calls me.

If I don't get reimbursed, I will find out if there is a class action suit on this. IF not, I will start one! Can anyone know if someone did file a class action suit?

[Maria2]

I just wanted to give all of you an update. Toyota called and said after investigation, since we have a great record with Toyota (we have had many of them), they will split the parts cost with us which equals to $518. They will not do anything with the labor. Our van has 80,000 miles on it even though it is only a 2004, plus the warranty has been out for about 2-3 years now.

But, they said if this ever becomes a recall, we will get the rest of our money back at that point.

I encourage all of you to go on this site:

IVOQ - File a Complaint

and file a complaint. The more people who do it, the more likely this will become a recall.

I wish everyone luck with this! We still have to eat over $1k of this mess at this point!

[Robj]

That's pretty amazing that they will pay half the parts Maria, I never would have guessed that they would offer anything. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.
Update on my van, I purchased the extended warranty with my van so it runs out in 5-09 and am lucky in that they covered the door and the window. I had something wrong with the gear shift too that they covered, it would get stuck in park and I had to force it into gear. The total labor and parts would have been $2,700.00 for everything.
We have a really good local import car mechanic that I have taken other cars to and when the warranty runs out that's where I go for major repairs, its MUCH cheaper than a dealership.

[gr8wi9]

Originally Posted by mustang67408

The only issue we have with 04 sienna slide doors is the CENTER HINGE wears out and thats when the cables break. There is a TSB (EL004-04) that addresses this. We replave the hinge/motor-cable assy/and a bracket. You should call the 1-800-331-4331 number for customer assistance. Other than that we do not have any other issues.

We just bought a 2005 Sienna XLE and I read the TSB you mentioned. Our VIN is after the dates in that TSB. Does that mean, along with your comment, "Other than that we do not have any other issues." that I shouldn't worry about my power sliding doors? I'm debating about an extended warranty just because of those doors. My Sienna has about 47,500 miles on it. The extended warranty could go to as much as 125k with $100 deductible. I have a Lexus ES300 with 173k that has only needed items that aren't covered anyway (tires, brakes) but it doesn't have doors that could cost over a grand to fix.

Thanks,
Jim

[Bvmurphy]

Starting about a month ago (right when it turned 100k miles) the driver's side power door started getting stuck closed and would not open. It made a clicking sound like it was trying to open but it was like it wouldn't unlock (even though the orange part of the level still moved inside to indicate it was unlocked). At first locking and unlocking the door a few times would solve the problem and then it would open fine. The problem has become increasingly frequent and now the door won't open at all. Once the door was open it always worked fine and I'm no expert but the cable looked okay to me. I took it to the dealer and they couldn't get it to open and said that everyone with this model has this problem and quoted me $1600+ dollars to fix it - and that's if the door will open again. They also showed me how the replacement motor is a re-engineered part which is further indicative of the defectiveness of the original. I called the 800.331.4331 and they just kept saying it has a hundred thousand miles and tough luck. They said I'd have to meet with the District Manager who'd made this decision and that there was no possible way to ever escalate this matter above that individual. I don't buy that. They also refused to give me this individual's contact information. This is wholly unacceptable. I currently own 3 toyotas, the '04 Sienna being the oldest, and have owned a total of 7 of their vehicles. I purposely did not buy a Chrysler because I didn't want to have to deal with this. I have many more cars to purchase in my lifetime and they won't be Toyota's if this is how they're going to treat their customers. I think the time has come for a class action law suit - I don't know how that works, just that I'd like to be a part of it. They have no incentive to address this issue as the $3,000 it sounds like everyone is having to spend on this defectice doors is a mighty lucrative income source for them.
Shame on Toyota!

[OCCasita]

Originally Posted by kbeattie

Sorry cwong. The cable and motor assembly are one unit and cost approx. $1500, which does not include labor to install. I'm still waiting for some type of safety recall but for now I'm using my doors manually.

The cable on our 2004 Sienna just went out today. We had the extra care warranty that would take us to June 2010, or 75,000.00 miles. Unfortunately, we are at 91,255.00 miles. Being later on Saturday, there is no one in Customer Relations to help us. I've called the Toyota 1-800 line and left a report saying that I've seen numerous complaints about this problem (here and on edmunds.com). I am going to put up a stink until they lower their price significantly or fix it it for free. I have threatend that if they cannot do that, then I will have to park it in the garage and cancel the insurance on it. People will ask why I'm not driving it and I will have to say that it is too expensive to repair.

To the person who had the door made manual, how much was that? I may have to do that (and for no cost to me I hope!). I make 6 trips to schools per day and shuttle around 5 kids in all (not all mine, thank goodness!). I need a van that works.

[johnrma]

Well, as luck (bad luck that is) will have it, the second sliding door's cable has also failed on my 2004 Sienna XLE. We have been operating the first door manually since it's failure because of the repair cost, in the hope that Toyota will eventually realize the severity of the problem. The second door's failure mode seems the same as the first .. fraying cable, jammed motor, etc .... Unfortunately, the second door cannot be opened / closed at all. Fortunately (I guess), it is stuck in the closed position... I am discussing with my local dealer ... maybe now Toyota will listen.

Stay tuned.

[ricker95]

Our drivers side power door cable just snapped as well. $1500 to fix. This is absolutly crazy. we have a 2004 with 53000 miles on it.

Toyota better do somehting about this soon. Luckly my daughter was still strapped into the car seat otherwise she would have been seriously hurt.

I called the 800 number and got the run around. I am going to call again today. I also posted a complaint on IVOQ - File a Complaint

EVERYONE needs to do both of these things!

[frogstarjgw]

For those interested in weekend repair work. Here is a $5 power door cable fix on a 1999 Sienna. I don't see how something as basic as a cable can be different from one generation to the next.